and then there were Sheep Mines
by StillDoll027
Summary: A cross-over I wrote that contains Twilight, Kingdom Hearts, Fruits Basket, Ouran High Host Club, Final Fantasy and many other things. Written with absolutly no concent from my friends, whom are the main characters. ENJOY!
1. Chapter 1

_OMGEE!! HI!! This is my new fan fiction: "…and then there were Sheep Mines." I wrote this as a joke cosplay featuring my friends (many of whom we shall meet) :):):) anyways, heres the declaration:_

_DECLARATION::_

_AL:*grabs Axel from Kingdom Hearts (COM and II)* - HI AXEL!!!_

_A: umm, hi? Can I help you in someway?_

_AL: Can you do this declaration for meh?_

_A: What's in it for me?_

_AL: *looks both ways before answering* Roxas._

_A: Annoying-Loudmouth does not own any of the content found in the following cosplay._

_AL: Except Jess._

_A: *smirks* Got it memorized?_

_TeeHee! Such fun! Anyways, heres the first chapter:_

_(And, for those of you who subscribed to my Twilight story – the next chapter IS COMING!! OK? STOP BUGGING ME!!)_

"…and…he gets you!!" a girl screeched for the semi-darkness, being rewarded with shrieks of terror from her two companions. She giggled, before lying on her back and saying smugly "Don't freak, it's just a story."

"Yea- yeah." one agreed, before doing the same. The other girl simply stared into the campfire she was sitting next to as it flickered lazily.

"Wonder what'd be like – if it was real, I mean?" she said quietly, weighing the words carefully. The first girl snorted.

" Honestly, Nivs, you're far too easy to scare. It was only a story, like I said. Make-believe." she explained.

"Yeah, your right Jess," Nivs agreed, "it's not my fault you're such a good storyteller."

Jess blushed lightly in the glow of the campfire; "I'm not _that _good a storyteller." She contradicted half-heartedly.

"Yeah, stop it Nivs," the other girl agreed, "you'll only inflate her already over inflated head to the point where she's insufferable." she sniggered.

The blush was more prominent on Jess' face now, "Shut it, Lucy." she growled.

Lucy sniggered again, and then sighed. "We better go to sleep, it's a long trek to Konoha Village, and we'll have to be up at daylight."

"Yeah," Nivs agreed, 'Let's go to sleep soon. I'm bushed from the walk anyway. Besides –" she cast a look at Jess, "We can't keep you away from your beloved Kakashi, Jess." she broke off into muffled laughter.

"Oi, you sick little freak!"

Lucy laughed while she turned over in her futon, replaying certain events in her head – of her beloved Ed, and bearing him farewell little over a week ago, Nivs' silence, Jess' arguments – mostly about Kakashi or someone loosely related to him – and, of course, that strange figure Nivs had pointed out in Traverse Town that Lucy was _sure _was following them. But, they had lost sight of him days ago, and so Lucy was beginning to lose interest in his weird choice of clothing – entirely decked out in black – black robe, black hood – to be honest, Lucy had felt a little afraid of him.

Jess and Nivs continued to bicker quietly in the background of her thoughts as she tried to figure out this weird situation herself – it seemed so _simple_. But, when Nivs and Jess' voices finally faded into non-existence, Lucy gave in to the overwhelming power of sleep.

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From a distance, a black clad figure watched silently as all three girls became silent. Then, after a few minutes of silence, the figure took a pink Blackberry mini computer from his robe and sped-dialled a number – it was answered almost immediately. The figure winced as a masked voice croaked, "Is the situation going as planned?" hoarsely.

"Yes, master," the man replied, before continuing "I shall bring them to your castle now."

"Excellent." The voice cut off.

The man looked ahead of him, and sighed. Suddenly, a large flower grew from the ground and, spraying it's pollen over the three girls, died. The man sighed again, and, letting his hood fall, stared at the hazy moon. His long, pink hair almost shone in the light of the fire against the contrast of the black hood. The man sighed a third time, before extinguishing the fire, and lifting all three girls at once and walking away silently.

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"Lucy..? Lucy.?? Lucy, wake up! This is important!"

Lucy groaned at the sudden source of light, and stumbled into consciousness. Morning already? she thought dismally before starching out and opening her eyes. Her breathing faltered for just a moment before she said "…The hell?"

Lucy got to her feet, and stared in blank shock and horror at her surroundings, as panic filled her entire body.

"Where – where are we? How did we get here? AND WHAT'S WITH THESE OUTFITS?!" she shrieked when she looked down for her Luffy plushie and caught sight of herself. Lucy was in a black robe, with a hood pulled over her hair. It was quite annoying for her, and she pulled it back. She recognized the style of the cloak as exactly the same as the one that man from Traverse Town was wearing

Nivs took a step back from the Lucy; Lucy noticed she was wearing an orange t-shirt with sandy cream 3/4 trousers with orange socks.

"No idea. In the world."

A light bulb flashed over Lucy's head.

"This is a joke, right? Am I being punked? Where are the camera's?" she asked, with false humour and hope in her voice. Nivs just shook her head.

"Nope, no camera's."

Lucy looked around herself again.

"Where's Jess?" she asked in a concerned tone, "I haven't heard her voice at _all _this morning – is something wrong with her?"

"Nah, I'm over here." a voice called from the corner. Lucy turned as a reflex reaction, and burst out laughing before she could stop herself.

Jess sat in the corner of the hall reading – what, Lucy didn't know – dressed in what seemed to be a short pink dress that came just below the waist. Sleeveless and radiating innocence, it did not suit Jess in the slightest.

"Jess... what the… how the…" Lucy seemed to be at a loss for words, before she collapsed onto the floor, laughing manically. Nivs and Jess rolled their eyes in unison.

"Hey – I think I've figured out where we are!" Jess announced. Lucy immediately stopped laughing.

"What?! Where?"

Nivs sighed; "Shut up, Lucy. Where are we?" she asked Jess.

"We're in… Castle Oblivion… it would seem."

"Castle Oblivion? What's that?"

Jess hesitated, "It's a world out of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories." she finally conceded.

"How do you know?" Nivs asked timidly.

"Well, first of all, it's all in this pamplet." Jess held it up, "And, well, it's _Laura _writing the story. Typical." Jess sighed, shaking her head in amazement, disgust, jealously and some weird fourth Jess emotion that no other human possesses.

"Well, if Laura's writing the story, I'm outta here. Where's the exit?" Lucy asked.

"There is no exit," Nivs informed her, looking suddenly scared, "There's only two doors, one of which is locked, while the other leads to the sheep mines. Ug." Nivs shuddered.

"Technically, that's impossible." Jess stated.

And then, out of nowhere, a sheep emerged with it's wife and three kids. After kissing his wife goodbye, ruffling his oldest kid, Billy's, hair, and glaring directly at Jess, he entered the mine. Nivs shivered again.

Someone sniggered behind them.

Jess whirled around to find the black clad man leaning up against a wall.

"OMG, it's that black clad guy!" Lucy gasped. Jess slapped herself in the face before saying "No shit, Sherlock."

Only Nivs stayed calm; "Who are you?" she asked, "And why are we here?"

"I am Marluxia." the man replied.

The three girls looked at each other: "Huh?"

Marluxia stammered, "Marluxia. Also known as the Silent Assassin. I'm sure you've heard of me."

The three girls looked at each other again. "No…" Lucy began, "Wait, you remind me of Senior Tamaki!"

Jess shook her head. "Shigure, hands down." she contradicted.

"I disagree." Nivs interrupted, "he reminds me of Senior Adio."

Jess and Lucy stared at her.

"Who?"

"He's out of that Vampire Knight thing Catherine made me read."

"You really read that?"

"Hello!!" Marluxia screamed, desperate to make himself heard.

All three girls stared at him.

"Why are we here?" Nivs asked again. Marluxia hesitated.

"For my master to… mess around with." he suggested.

"And what do _you _want?" Lucy demanded, "You Tamaki-Shigure-Adio wannabe."

Marluxia grimaced, before answering, "My master want's me to give you this key."

"Key?!" All three girls gasped at once.

_Well?? What do you think? Yes, this is only the first chapter, that's a given. If you liked it, click that little button below. It makes cookies fall from the sky. If you don't like cookies, screw you! I promise to update soon :) and for those Twilighters – I'M DOING IT NOW!! STOP STALKING ME! AHH! DON'T HURT ME!_

_PS. I also forgot to mention; go to my Profile page if you wish to see the outfits these peoplez wear! ENJOY!_


	2. Chapter 2

"_Key?!" Jess, Nivs and Lucy all gasped._

"That's right," Marluxia smirked; pleased he had finally gained attention. "But, I'm not sure if I'll even give it to you, now."

"What?!" Nivs shrieked.

"Why not?!" Lucy gasped. Marluxia shrugged.

"That is the way of things in Castle Oblivion."

"You can't be serious." Jess asked in a scathing tone. Marluxia shrugged again.

"Here, to find is to lose, and to lose is to find."  
"And THAT doesn't even make any sense at all!" Jess stated. Marluxia flushed, before removing his hood. Jess, Nivs and Lucy's mouths dropped open.

Marluxia stood, pink haired in brilliance. The light reflected off it, casting little rainbows on the wall – _was it the light? _Jess wondered, _or just the insanity?_

"What the hell..?" Lucy asked in awe. Marluxia turned his ice blue eyes on her.

"Yes Lucy, it's true. I'm a homosexual."

"What?!" Jess spluttered.

"No way!" Nivs backed away.

"He's gay?!" Lucy blanked.

"Sssh!" Marluxia tried to silence them, only succeeding when he bellowed "SHUT UP!" The three stared at him.

"Keep it quiet," Marluxia begged them, looking around them warily, "I have a reputation to keep and weird things happen to "gays" in this castle."

"Like what?" Lucy demanded shrilly.

"Well… Axel."

"Axel?"

"Yes, Axel." Marluxia's eyes welled up with tears, "We hooked up around two weeks ago, then around three days after that he was fired and replaced. I haven't seen him since."

"Wow. I did not need that image in my mind." Jess stated. Marluxia glared at her coldly, before dropping a card on the floor. All three girls jumped as it hit the floor.

"Here is your precious key," he sneered, "but is getting out of here really worth it?"

"What do you mean by that?" Lucy whimpered. Marluxia ignored her – he was looking upwards in a reproachful way.

"Good luck," he added warily, before disappearing into oblivion. Lucy gasped, "Holy shit!" Jess looked longingly after him, thinking _Sure wish I had one of those… _Nivs walked forward and picked up the small key-card. She examined it, before holding it up to the locked door. A bright light blinded the girls, and they screamed from terror (except Jess, who was drooling from the mouth, dreaming.. no, planing what would happen when she got a hold of one of those magic cloaky things.) When the light faded slowly, the girls discovered the door open, and the key-card gone. It was Jess, who had now finished plotting her world domination, who broke the silence:

"Well, should we go in?"

Lucy hesitated, and said "No. We don't know what to expect. We could be walking right into a trap."

"Well, we can't just stay here forever!" Nivs cried, panic colouring her features, "I think we should go in."

"It's either that or the sheep mines." Jess pointed out to Lucy, who shuddered.

"Ok. Fine."

Jess nodded, and walked forward. She took a deep breath, preparing to bolt through the door…

"Wait."

"Nivs stepped forward, Lucy clinging to her arm. She hesitated for a short moment, before joining Jess.

"If we're going to do this, we should do it together." She said, sincerity ringing in her voice. Lips dry, Jess could do nothing else but nod. She felt her body automatically brace itself as she walked through the door…

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… only to step into a professional looking control bridge, where two blonde young men, and some random blue thing, stood, looking in Jess' general direction.

"Yuna, are you ok?" one asked. Jess cocked her head to the side; "Who?"

The other blonde, who was covered in tattoos, turned immediately to Lucy and yelled something at her in a language Jess didn't recognize:

"_Fryd'c fnuhk fedr oihy? _Neggi_, frud tet oui to du ran?!_"

"_Xna ehi oui aiccurk ed li?! Oui mnyoct pi aiccurk ed dnum Neggi!_" Lucy yelled back immediately, causing Jess to become even more confused.

"Lucy… did you understand that?" Jess asked, turning.

Lucy was dressed in yellow short shorts, and a bikini top. Three pompoms were connected to a string that fell to her ankles – Jess didn't want to think where it was connected to. Lucy's hair had become straw blonde also – it made Jess's eyes B L E E D.

"Lucy!" Jess screamed, eyes popping wide, "What the hell?!"

"Why are you calling Rikku Lucy, Yuna?" the first blonde asked, comfusion in his voice.

"That's her name!" Jess stated in a matter-of-fact way, "and I'm not Yuna, I'm Jess."

"_Xned epyod Beuri? Um mni kyurk dy snerki nih reli dyy?_" the tattooed man demanded. Nivs stepped forward, and Jess noticed that her hair was now a short, cropped grey, and she was wearing a short black halter top, and skin tight leggings with high heeled boots. Jess found herself shocked to admit that Nivs suited it.

"_Csdoecca im U'l mohi ayoh hiwihhurk dy li, la relim Rifitude, pod ayo ser secc li Rifm._"

The two men stared at her.  
"You… understand Al Bhed… Paine?" the first man asked in surprise. Nivs shrugged.

"If that's what you call it. And, I'm not Paine, I'm Nivs, remember?"

But Jess wasn't listening – she was too busy looking at her new outfit…

"Oh, COME ON!" she screamed, causing the others to stare at her. She was glaring at her new outfit, which was composed of short shorts and a skirt that only covered one leg, which came to her ankle. She was also wearing a white t-shirt with a cut descending down the bosom, a metal symbol connecting the two pieces of fabric between the breasts. Her hair was short, except for an extremely long ponytail that came to her "waist".

"Whoever's doing this, I'm gonna kill them! Bombs and knives! Blood thirsty torture and mind boggling deaths. They will beg for death long before I give them that pleasure! Ooh, revenge will be sweet!"

"Yeah, she does that sometimes," Lucy tried to explain, "It's really best if you just ignore her."

"So… you don't remember us?" the first blonde asked, hurt in his voice. Nivs shook her head.

"Sorry, no."

The first blonde shook his head, before saying: "Well, my name is Buddy. Nice to meet you."

"_Ecdyokn ayo mnyoct gryx, U'l Phudnih – dni snebdeur yw dnum fimmic."_

Nivs, Buddy and Lucy rolled their eyes.

"I'm Shina," a voice came from the right of them, and they looked to see a small child looking at them over the back of a chair, "Child prodigy. His name is Brother, by the way." He nodded towards the second man, " 'Cause you can't understand Al Bhed."

"And this is Barkeep." Buddy introduced the random blue thing. "He's a Hypello." He explained, seeing Jess' confusion.

"And I'm TAYLOR!"

All seven blinked as the owner of the voice skipped into view. While the owner of the voice was obviously male, all were nauseated to see that he wore a frilly pink dress with pink buckle up shoes. Jess was the first to react. In one swift movement, she walked forward and punched him in the face, which immediately crumpled as he began to cry.

"Lucy, she's being mean to meee!" he sobbed. Lucy took a step back as he went to cling to her.

"Not on your life," was all she said.

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Marluxia watched from the shadows, pleased with his achievement. Lucy continued to bicker pointlessly with Taylor as he left, opening another corridor of darkness to walk through. His work for the day was nearly through – all he had to do was report back to a workmate who would takeover watching the girls; and others; progress, and then he could return to his Axel/Riku/Roxas shrine in peace. As he reached the room, however, he found it empty. Panic began to pulse through his body: if she wasn't here, he would never be free.

Something moved behind him. He ignored it.

If he wasn't free, he could never return to his shrine, which was very, very bad.

Next moment, he was on the ground, with a snarling wolf on his back. Marluxia didn't even blink.

"Good one, Holly."

The wolf pouted, "Its no fun if you don't even squeal," she whined, before transforming back into a human. The girl was dressed in a blue t-shirt and a rugged pair of green board shorts. She didn't wear shoes, and her hair hung freely. She stood up and walked to a couch to the side of the room, ignoring movement in the opposite corner. As she sat down, her black cloak fell off the arm of the couch on which it had been perched.

"How are they doing?" she asked with polite interest, picking up a open can of Diet Coke from the floor next to the couch.

"Fine, but I think we should test them Larxen-"

"HOLLY! My name is Holly."

"…Holly. I think we-"

"Yes, so you said. What do you suggest?"

Marluxia grimaced.

"_It?!_ Are you sure?!"

"I'm positive."  
The figure in the corner moaned.

"QUIET!" Marluxia ordered as Holly kneaded her forehead, before yelling " 'Ren! Get in here!"

The large, white doors opened, and all three watched in horror as another figure walked in.

"Holly! My Holly!"

"Catherine, listen very carefully – I have a task for you…"

**Look, if you want to understand what said in Al Bhed up there, google "Al Bhed Translater" and Copy/Paste the sentences at will. Simple!**

As per usual, go to my Profile page if you wish to see the outfits these peoplez wear! ENJOY!


	3. Chapter 3

"Catherine, listen very carefully – I have a task for you…"

"So you really don't know us?" Jess asked Taylor with sadness and relief in her tone. Taylor shook his head.

"No, I don't know any Jess, Nivs or Lucy's. I DO know a Yuna, Rikku and Paine, though. This is Guadosalam, where the Guado lived." he added, motioning out the window to a green overgrown looking ciry. Nivs sighed impaitently.

"Where are we going exactly?" she moaned, causing Taylor to glare at her.

"We're going to Macalania Woods, to try and find Nooj, Baralai and Gippal."

"You mean Nooj, the leader of the Youth League, Baralai, the praetor, or head preist, of New Yevon, and Gippal, who "my" childhood friend, and leader of the Al Bhed Machine Faction, correct?" Lucy asked. Jess and Nivs blinked, Taylor nodded.

"Correct."

"Then I have another question." Lucy continued.

"Oh, yes, this is the Thunder Plains – but your not scared of thunder anymore, are Rikk- Lucy?"

Lucy scoffed. "What loser is scared of a little thunder and lightning?" She asked in a disbelieving tone. And, right then, as a bolt of lightning hit the ship they were travelling in (the Celsius), Jess screamed. Taylor, Nivs, Lucy and Brother, who had sneaked up behind Jess, all stared at her in surprise.

"What?" Taylor asked.

"No-nothing." Jess muttered, turning away.

"And anyway, that wasn't what I was going to… _Phydnih, tut ayo vomd milcc vimm' neuh?!_"

"_Tut ayo vomd segi vim?!_"Taylor gasped.

Nivs blinked, "Did you just cake Jess?" she translated in a scathing tone. Taylor went red.

"I'm… still not that good at this Al Bhed."

Everyone, excluding Jess, laughed, and then, suddenly:

"Hey, we're landing in Macalania Woods." Buddy yelled, and everyone, again excluding Jess, cheered.

"Come on, lets go!"

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"Wow! It's beautiful!" Lucy gasped, turning in a 360˚ motion in amazement, "Wow!"

Nivs shrugged, "It's alright, I guess."

A few feet away, Taylor was jumping up and down, going "Oh my god, oh my god!"

Brother, Buddy and Shina stood together, watching Taylor in open disgust.

And Jess – well, Jess was standing at the Northern end of the small clearing they had landed in. Nivs narrowed her eyes at the sight of that; it was unlike Jess to be so silent for so long. She walked over to Jess slowly, stopping an arms length away.

"This place… I felt so empty before. Why? Why does this place make me feel whole?" Jess whispered, prompting Nivs to go "Huh?"

Jess jumped, and turned quickly, brushing from her eyes what Nivs suspected to be tears.

"You alright?" Nivs asked in a concerned tone, she had never seen Jess cry before, or that she could remember.

"Fine. Can we get a bloody move on?!" she yelled, glaring towards Taylor in frustration. Nivs could only watch in disbelief as Jess marched out of the clearing without waiting for an answer.

"Hang on, hang on – I'm the leader here!" Brother screamed in broken English, causing everyone to stop (for they had begun to follow Jess out of the clearing) and stare at him. There was an awkward silence for a few moments, before "Right! Follow Yuna – I mean, Jess!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and followed Nivs out.

"Nivs, how are we going to get out of here? I don't want to be a "Rikku"!" Lucy cried in desperation, as they caught up to Jess. Nivs just shook her head, for she had no answer to that question, which worried her.

"Stop!"

Jess had come to a stop in front of them, looking at a mount of people on the ground.

"Nooj!" Jess cried, just as Lucy cried "Gippal!" and Nivs cried "Baralai!" They stirred, moaning.

"Paine…" Baralai groaned.

Everyone turned to Nivs, who suddenly realised that Baralai meant her, "What is it?" she asked, pity colouring her tone.

"It's a… trap. Run… now." he begged. Lucy gasped.

"I say we respect his final wish," she said hurridly, backing up. Buddy shook his head.

"Come on, let's get them back to the Celsius. Barkeep!" he yelled over his sholder, and the weird blue thing itself came running. With Shrina, it lifted up Gippal and started for the ship; Brother grabbed Nooj and Buddy dragged Baralai. Jess, Nivs, Lucy and Taylor were soon the only ones left, and as Jess said: "Wait, what'd he say about a trap?" when suddenly a pathetic attempt at an evil laugh filled the air, and a shape silhouetted in darkness appeared.

"Oh god!" Taylor screamed, "It's a Berthmoth!"

"Nah," Nivs disagreed, "It's just Catherine."

"Oh, joy." Jess said in a sarcastic tone.

"You are correct," the figure acknowledged, and stepped forward. Lucy's eyes bulged as she saw Catherine, dressed in a pink dress with a large split down the middle – the remaining fabric barely covering her… well, you know. As Lucy took this in, she screamed. "Don't worry, I'll kill it!" Taylor reassured her, charging forward with what appeared to be a microphone. Looking bored, Catherine pulled out a fan, from where, Jess didn't want to know, and waved it in Taylor's general direction. As a result, Taylor was thrown backwards. With a grunt, he stood up, and leaned on his staff.

"What now?" Lucy asked as Catherine turned towards her.

"Run, of course!" Taylor cried, "I'm too cute to die!"

Jess shook her head, "Won't do any good. Trust me."

"You could always fight me," Catherine suggested.

There was silence.

"What?" Nivs said, confused.

"Fight. Me." Catherine said slowly, as if speaking to three year-olds. "You, Jess-Yuna, are a "Gunner", see the gun?"

"Huh?" Jess looked, "Oh, cool?"

Catherine turned to Nivs, "You, Nivs-Paine, are a "Warrior"."

Nivs shrugged, "It's not surprising." was all she said.

"Wow!" Lucy gasped, "What am I?"

"You, Lucy-Rikku, are a "Theif"."

There was a long pause.

"A what?" Lucy asked.

"A thief. See those claws at your waist? You can steal anything you put your mind to. And you," Catherine turned to Taylor, "You have, if possible, the most GIRLIEST fighting style I've ever seen. You're a "Songstress", you sing and dance, and it doesn't even harm your opponent! Your pathetic." She scoffed. Taylor went bright red.

"Shut up!" he yelled, running full speed towards Catherine, staff in hand. As he swung the staff towards Catherine, the words "1 damage" appeared just above them. Taylor, distracted, went "Huh?" just as Catherine drew her fan.

"Taylor, look out!" Lucy cried, but it was too late. Catherine had preformed her attack, and the words "9,999 damage" appeared just as the fan made contact with Taylor. He gasped, looking down at the fan in confusion.

"That's…not…fair." He gasped, his knees buckling. As he slumpt towards the ground, Catherine turned to Jess, and "Now that that's taken care of, let's start this battle!" she hissed, shifting into a battle crouch, before pushing a button on a recently appeared stereo. Catherine turned back to smirk at them, as the words "_Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. Everything…_" filled the air. Catherine's smirk was quickly replaced with embarrassment as she stumbled over and pushed the "Stop" button on the stereo. With the horrible, horrible music now not playing, the only sound in the clearing was Jess, Lucy and Nivs' maniacal laughter. Catherine hurriedly changed the song, and all too soon the song "One Winged Angel" filled the air. This time, all four girls (?) shifted into a battle crouch, before springing forward.

Nivs ran forward yelling, and with deadly accuracy, placed a hit with her ironically oversized sword right in Catherine's stomach. The words "953 damage" appeared.

"What?!" Nivs complained, dropping back.

"Here, let me try." Jess suggested, pulling out her gun. Aiming for Catherine's heart, she fired, scoring a direct hit.

"Score, a direct hit!" Lucy cried.

But when the words "201 damage" appeared, Jess almost dropped her gun.

"Impossible," she moaned, sinking to her knees.

Lucy turned and started talking, except Jess couldn't hear her.

"Lucy?" she asked, her own voice echoing. Nivs looked at her in a concerned manner, asking with no words if she was ok. Jess didn't reply, she had spotted another figure beside Nivs.

"Huh?"  
The man had sandy blonde hair, and cerulean blue eyes. He was dressed in a short yellow t-shirt, which only came to his mid-chest and was left unbuttoned, exposing a silver necklace. Over the yellow top he wore black overalls, with one leg cut shorter that the other (one leg ending mid calve, the other mid thigh). He had yellow boots on his feet, and was regarding Jess in a cheerful, upbeat manner.

"Tom?" Jess called. Nivs and Lucy looked at her, questioning her sanity (for they could not see the man), and Catherine was left abandoned and forgotten.

"No, wait, your not Tom," Jess corrected. She gasped, "Your HIM!"

The boy smiled an open mouth smile at her then, displaying a mouth of perfect white teeth. As in a trance, Jess walked forward slowly towards him – a cocky smile planted on her lips. As she reached him, she muttered, "Laura, I SWEAR if you do what I think you're going to do, you're a dead bitch."

And so this narrator quickly changed the course of the story, making it so that the boy simply reached into his pocket and drew out a colourful sweet, which he deposited into Jess' hands.

"What the-" Jess stammered, blinking rapidly. But then he was gone, and Jess cried out in pain – the music was suddenly apparent, the recorded choir's voices singing "Sephiroth! Sephiroth!" Body trembling, Jess silently drew her fists around the sweet, before opening her mouth and screaming. A few seconds later, she turned and ran towards Catherine, her gun loaded. Nivs and Lucy cried out, "Jess!" but she ignored them, for she had reached Catherine, and was holding the gun to her head.

"Tell me," she hissed, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

Catherine didn't say anything, only stated at the gun in horror.

"Why me?" Jess moaned, tear's forming in her eyes. _Damn_. she thought, but her hands stayed where they were.

"Well, um…" Catherine started, breaking off when she spotted something else in Jess' hands…

"Ooh! Sweet! Can I have it?!"

Jess blinked. Nivs smacked her face.

"If I give it to you, will you leave us _alone_?" Jess demanded. Catherine nodded manically, reaching for it. Jess looked back to Nivs and Lucy, who shrugged and nodded.

"Ok, fine." Jess agreed, holding out the sweet and ignoring the stabbing pain in her chest when Catherine took it. All at once, a door appeared, Catherine started gagging and another random third thing.

"Sugar free," Catherine hissed, glaring at Jess, "You'll pay."

And with that, she turned around and… well, no one's quite sure how she did it, but she left, bottom line. As earthquake rocked the wood clearing, and all three girls screamed. "Quickly, through the door!" Jess gasped, running towards it. Nivs and Lucy quickly followed, barely pausing as they ran into the light…

As per usual, go to my Profile page if you wish to see the outfits these peoplez wear! ENJOY!


	4. Chapter 4

… only to walk back into the same, pristine room as before. Jess blinked, "Huh? W-weren't we just in here before?" she stammered, looking around blankly. Lucy peered around Nivs slowly.

"I… I think so…" she whimpered, shivering. "Jess, what was that place?" she asked.

"Maybe – " Nivs began, before gasping and pointing forward, where Marluxia stood.

"Marluxia!" Jess, Nivs and Lucy gasped in unison. Usually this would cause them to gasp and say "What the hell?" but they just continued staring at Marluxia.

"Well, Sora?" Marluxia asked curiously, "Did you enjoy meeting your memories?"

"What?" Lucy asked.

"Sora?" Jess wondered what that was.

"Oh, sorry, my mistake." Marluxia apologized, "Wrong cue cards. Did you enjoy meeting _her _memories?"

"Whose memories?" Nivs asked fiercely, causing Marluxia to hurriedly ask "Don't you want to be reunited with your friends?"

"What?!" Jess asked, confused at the fast pace of the conversation.

"You must follow the path set out to find what's important to you, Marluxia instructed, before adding "But first, I'll need to make sure you're up to the task."

"What?!" Lucy gasped, backing up to the wall.

"That generally means a fight." Nivs informed her, frowning.

"But I don't have my umbrella!" Lucy cried, arms flailing.

"Worry not," Marluxia said through gritted teeth, "it is but a battle of wits."

"Sounds like fun," a voice said, "Mind if I join you?"

Jess, Lucy and Nivs watched in amazement as another figure clad in black joined Marluxia. _They… look exactly the same! _Jess thought. A spasm of pain flashed across Marluxia's face.

"Aww, c'mon! Let me help you!" The person begged. Jess thought the voice sounded vaguely familiar…

"What do you want?" Marluxia snarled. The figure shrugged.

"I got bored, what with you playing the hero."

"Hmph." Marluxia drew a card from his cloak pocket and threw it to the figure. "Perhaps _you'd _like to test them?"

"Perhaps _I _would."

"Fine, then. I'll go check on _her_." And without a backwards glance, Marluxia vanished.

"See ya." The figure said sarcastically, before saying "Well, it looks like it's my show now guys – my name is-"

And, at that exact moment, Jess though of the person who the voice belonged to.

"Emma?!" Jess asked in shock. The figure flinched.

"Huh?" Nivs and Lucy gasped, before Nivs said, "You know, it kinda _does _sound like Emma."

"Grr." The figure growled, before removing their hood. A flurry of sandy blonde hair fell into a messy bob, and tips of fake ears could just be seen producing from it. Emma's eyes, a mix of grey, blue and green, were hidden behind glasses.

"Totally uncool, guys." She moaned, glaring.

"Emma, what are you doing in Castle Oblivion?" Lucy asked with terror in her voice. Emma pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked. There was silence for a few moments.

"No," Jess finally said. Emma's face fell.

"I'm here to get my Organization XIII cosplay." She explained in a slow voice, as if talking to idiots.

There was more silence.

"Isn't that what your wearing?" Nivs asked . Emma smirked.

"Yes."

Another awkward silence.

"Then why are you still here?" Lucy asked in confusion. Emma's smirk grew wider.

"Because they pay me in Dr. Pepper!"

The silence was stifling.

"What an idiot." Jess finally retorted. Nivs nodded.

"Well," Emma bent forward on a slight angle, "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Nivs asked with fear in her voice.

"For…" Emma threw down her hand, and a purple grey cloud of smoke filled the room. Nivs, Lucy and Jess spluttered.

"Ug!"

"Who does she think she is?"

"She's getting hurt."

The smoke eventually cleared, and all three girl's mouths fell open.

"… my game show!" Emma finished with a flourish. Corny theme music began to play.

"The rules are as follows – each contestant, that would be you guys, has but one question to answer. Get it right, and you'll advance to the next room. Heck, I'll even throw in some world cards. Get it wrong…" Emma grinned, "Well, we'll get to that later.

"First up, Jess!"

There was a round of applause as Jess stepped forward. Emma opened the envelope containing the first question.

"Ok Jess, here's your question. For two world cards… what closes it's umbrella when it rains? Oh, and you only have 30seconds to answer, otherwise it count's as a wrong answer, meaning you'll get transported to another area of the castle. I probably should of mentioned that."

"Yes you should of!" Jess screamed, fists curling up into balls.

"Focus Jess, you know this." Nivs called. Jess closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking, thinking…

"Ten seconds!" Emma announced.

"Crap!" Jess swore, thinking, thinking…

"Five…four…three…two…"

"A pinecone?" Jess asked Emma, who blinked.

"…Correct." She allowed, handing Jess two world cards as she passed. "Next up, Lucy! We chose an extra easy question for you!"

"What does that mean?!" she screeched, stepping forward. Emma ignored her.

"Ok. What's got stripes on the outside, and polka dots in the inside? Think carefully now." Emma cautioned.

"Umm…erm…well…oh!" Lucy gasped, "a watermelon!"

"Coooooorrrrreeect!" Emma cried, dropping two world cards into Lucy's hands as she skipped past.

"Which just leaves our final contestant… Nivs!" Emma introduced as Nivs stepped forward.

"Ok Nivs – if a tree falls in a forest, and there's no-one around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

"What?" Lucy cried.

"That has no answer!" Jess growled.

Emma smirked; "Sorry. Superiors orders."

"That's not fair," Lucy pouted.

"I never said I was fair. 15 seconds Nivedita." Emma prompted, "Do you have an answer?"

"Yes. The answer is… Oh my god, if that Johnny Depp without a top on?!"

"Oh my god! Where?!" Emma spun around, the two world cards she was holding falling to the floor in the process. Nivs ran forward, scooping them up as she passed. Emma turned around, crying "Hey!" as all three girls sprinted past her and went up the flight of stairs behind her. AS the reached the top, they slid to a stop with a gasp.

Emma stood there, in a room identical to the one they were just in before. Jess looked upwards and muttered "Come ON."

"Congratulations."

All three blinked, looking at Emma.

"You passed. Use those cards to keep it up and push forward. But be forewarned… when her sleeping memories awaken, you may no longer be who you believed you are."

"…thanks?" Lucy asked.

"Look, why are we here?!" Jess demanded, "I'm sick of this."

"There is a reason you three are here…" Emma admitted.

The three waited.

"The light within the darkness – you've all lost sight of it."

"Is that the only reason?" Nivs asked.

Emma grinned, "Ok, it _is _fun to fuck with you guys, I'll admit."

"So what now?" Lucy pushed.

"Well…" Emma hesitated, "Are you all sure you've given enough though to who's most important to you?"

"Of course!" Lucy and Nivs cried in union. Emma raised an eyebrow. Three bubbles appeared just out of reach to revel a sleeping Cloud, Kakashi and Luffy.

"Cloud!" Nivs cried.

"Luffy!" Lucy screamed.

There was silence for a moment, and Nivs and Lucy turned to Jess. She stared at them, sighed, and said with absolutely no enthusiasm "Kakashi."

"What do you want from us?" Lucy moaned, sinking to her knees.

"Do you want a hint?" Emma asked, making the three bubbles disappear with a wave of her hand. Lucy and Nivs gasped.

"Yes." Jess said, "I do."

"Jess!" Lucy screamed, "You're not supposed to tell them that!"

"Nah, it's cool." Emma assured them, "I won't judge you any more than usual."

"Ok then, what's the hint?" Nivs asked.

"Who ever said that I would give you a hint?" Emma asked in mock shock. Lucy let out a gasp of outrage.

"Later." Emma sneered, vanishing into thin air.

Nivs sighed, "Now what are we going to do?"

"We keep going forward, of course!" Jess looked at them with shock in her features, "I _need _to kick Emma's ass."

"You can try!" Emma's singsong voice filled the hall, and Jess gritted her teeth.

"Yeah! Cloud, Luffy and Kakashi need us!" Lucy cried in enthusiasm.

"Ok…so… what card do we use?" Nivs scratched her head.

"Umm…" Jess mulled it over, "What cards do we have?"

"Well, this one says "The Seven Seas", and has a picture of a boat on it, while this one has a high school, with the words "Cross Academy"… Cross…" Lucy thought.

"Isn't that from Vampire Knight?!" Nivs shrieked.

Jess nodded, "Yeah!" She looked over the cards she had won, "Look! The Soul Society! And Ouran High!"

"This one looks like a computer… "The World"? What does that mean?" Nivs asked.

"And this one looks like a burned out ghetto…" Jess murmured, "Shinjuku? Where's that?"

"Ok! So where to?"


	5. Chapter 5

"This one!" Lucy chose, lifting up the card that bore "The Seven Seas", "Maybe it's 'One Piece', and maybe Luffy will be there!"

"But we just saw him…" Nivs mulled, "Is it possible for two beings of the same person to exist in the same vicinity?"  
"How should I know?" Jess asked, blinking. "Anyway, it doesn't hurt to look."

"Yeah, Jess is right!" Lucy agreed, standing up and holding the card up to the door. Light emitted from the card up to the door, and filled the room with its glow once more. When the light had faded, the card was gone and the door stood open. Nivs and Jess got to their feet and, along with Lucy, stepped through the door…

… onto a wet deck of a ship. The smell of salt and the seaweed were almost overpowering to Jess, but they were a comfort to Lucy and Nivs.

"Hello?" Jess called out, looking around. "Anyone here?"

"Would you mind keeping quiet?" A voice yelled, it's owner coming through a door to the left of them. "Otherwise the whole royal navy will know we're here!"

"Ussop!" Lucy cried in recognition. Ussop turned towards them, arrogance in his posture. He jumped when he saw Jess.

"Prin-Prin-Princess!" he gasped bowing. Jess squinted at him.

"Where is Luffy? We need to speak with him."

"Huh?!" Ussop gasped, looking to Lucy and Nivs in shock, "Zoro, Nico, you didn't tell her?"

"Tell me what?" Jess demanded. Ussop turned back towards her.

"Well, your highness, Captain Luffy's gone missing."

There was silence for a few moments, before Ussop asked in confusion "Wait a minute… how did you get here? We're in the middle of the ocean!"

"The last place Luffy was seen was in the kitchen," Franky said, "Chopper saw him go in."

"And he hasn't been seen since?" Lucy asked in disappointment.

"We thought something was up when he didn't turn up for Brook's show, but then we thought he must of gone into a food coma again." Nami explained, "However, the next day, when Sanji went to cook breakfast, he was gone, and all the food was still there."

"How long ago was that?" Jess asked.

"Two weeks." Chopper piped up, looking at Jess with wide eyes, "But, he was acting weird before that, Princess."

"Call me Jess. And what do you mean, weird?"

"Well, he kept seeing people, men in black cloaks. He said they were coming to take him away." Brook told her. Jess nodded. _Obviously the work of Marluxia and his group. _

"Actually, he was in the hospital when he vanished. Ussop challenged his ability to be captain." Nami told them with a roll of her eyes. Ussop flushed.

"So would you if you cared about the safety of this ship and all those aboard it!"  
"Oh yeah, 'cause that worked out real well, didn't it?!"

"Why you-"

"Enough!"

Everyone blinked as Nivs drew herself up to her full height. In this world, she wore very little clothes, except or a large cowboy hat. Her black hair was back and she regarded everyone in a steely manner.

"Ni-Ni-Nico?"

Everyone was silent as she moved to the front of the room. She turned, looking with narrowed eyes and said "Ok. Here is what we're going to do. We are going to eat, we are going to sleep. Then, first thing in the morning, we'll set sail to look for Luffy."

"Good idea." Nami congratulated, "About time someone took control of this ship." She added. Ussop bristled.

"Is that supposed to be a hit at me?"

Nami ignored him and reached into a cabinet behind her before pulling out a bottle of amber coloured liquid, "Rum, anyone?"

There were murmurs of agreement in the room, and everyone but Nivs and Lucy went to claim some.

"Nico? Zoro? Don't you want some?" Ussop held up the bottle.

"N-No thanks." Lucy managed to spit out, while Nivs resorted to shaking her head. Ussop shrugged, before handing the bottle to Jess.

"Jess? What do you think your doing?!" Lucy gasped, looking at her in horror. Jess shrugged.

"With the sort of day we've had, I'd be stupid _not _to."

"Bu-But you're underage!" Lucy argued. Jess swallowed a mouthful of rum and turned to face her.

"Do I look underage?" she challenged. Nivs shook her head. "Plus, I'm a princess." Jess shrugged, "I can do as I please."

"You tell her, Viv-Jess." Chopper cheered. Lucy glared daggers at Jess.

"You!" she barked at Sanji, "Why aren't you cooking? That's your job, isn't it?"

"Geez Zoro," he said in a mocking voice, "I had no idea. I'll get straight on it." And with that strode out of the room.

"Ug!" Lucy groaned as she collapsed in her hammock. Nivs looked over to her.

"Long day, huh?"

"You could say that," Lucy closed her eyes and kneaded her forehead. "First of all, we wake up in some weird castle, watched by some weird homosexual, who gives us some weird card things that can take us to other worlds! On top of that, Emma's there, we're in the world of One Piece, which" she informed Nivs, "I've been dreaming of going to since I was a little girl, which, of course, you know, only to find out that Jess, _Jess_, is more popular than me. In fact, they all hate me!"

"Just because Sanji gave everyone but you a roast dinner means nothing."

"But I hate Lima Beans!" Lucy cried, "Especially canned ones!"

Far-off laughter cam from the deck, and Lucy clenched her teeth.

"It's not FAIR!" she screamed, before turning over and covering herself with the single blanket in her hammock. Nivs turned over on her side and sighed. It had been a very long day. She let her eyes drift close, and her mind relax. She woke up briefly as the door closed, and she murmured sleepily "Jess?"

There was silence for a few moments, before Jess whispered back "What?"

"Make sure you apologize to Lucy, 'kay?" she yawned.

There was the sound of stretching material as Jess climbed into her hammock, and for a minute the only audible sounds was Brook's show and the cheering, before finally, an almost silent "Ok."

Nivs smiled and then remembered no more.

It was dark; barely light enough to see. The room we were in was lined with shadows. I had no idea where I was.

_We were walking along a long hallway. We didn't speak to each other; the only sound was our footsteps on the polished marble. We just kept walking, for how long I cannot honestly say, until it came to an end.\_

_And then, suddenly, there was a sudden change, a contrast, to the surroundings. A single door, with a brass handle, stood lone, at the end of the hallway .One of us, it was impossible to know who, reached out and turned the knob, and as the door swung open slowly, we all walked in._

_The room was, like the rest of the castle, white, with rose decorations through the room. There were also no windows, only a single candle on a pedestal near the door, which flickered dangerously as we passed. There was nothing in this room that seemed out of the ordinary, except for the feeling of fear, dread, doom. It made this room feel like a prison._

_That's when we saw it. The hole. It was there, in the middle of the room, as if it was supposed to be there. We walked over to it, and peering in, got what can only be called a shock, although it was not._

_It was a bed, in the ground. It descended over all our heights put together, and at the bottom of it there was a mattress. A corner was filled with discarded blankets and pillows, and our eyes sifted to the other object of interest – one that none of us would forget._

_Our eyes passed over the stuffed frog soft toy nestled in her arms to the girls face, but it was pointless. Her hair had been carelessly thrown over her face, making any identification pointless. One of us made a sound, and she stirred from her slumber, propping herself up on one elbow, and pushing her brown hair out of her face. It fell to her shoulders to form a messy bob – like Emma's. The girl yawned, and, blinking, looked upwards. We recognized her straight away – her startling blue eyes made it impossible for us not to. Those eyes bored into us as she stared, her eyes slowly going wide in a mix of horror, terror, anguish and sorrow as she pieced together who we were._

_And then she screamed._


	6. Chapter 6

The cabin was filled with the girl's scream. All Lucy's eyes could see was the look in the girl's eyes just before she'd screamed. She looked scared… and happy. Why was she happy? Why was she scared? Who was she?

A single, working part of Lucy's brain decoded sounds other than the screaming in the cabin: Nivs' fearful voice calling her name, Jess yelling (in a concerned tone) if she would kindly shut up, and Usopp, who was yelling "The madness strikes again! Again, I say!" To which he was answered by a loud slapping sound, and Lucy assumed someone, probably Nami, had slapped him across the face. And then the awful truth dawned on Lucy: she was the one screaming. The girl was all a dream. She wasn't here with them. Embarrassed, she stopped screaming, leading to an (inevitable) awkward silence. It remained like this for a few moments, before:  
"Bad dream?" Chopper asked sympathetically.

"Y-yeah," Lucy gasped as she jumped down from her hammock, before wrapping her arms around herself. She saw that she was right, Usopp had been slapped, and, as she had assumed, it was Nami who had slapped him, because he was rubbing a large red patch on his cheek whilst glaring at her. Nivs rubbed Lucy's back.

"It's ok," she soothed, "It's all over now. It's all over." Lucy just nodded, eyes wide.

"It was probably the Lima Beans," Sanji admitted, "They were past their use-by date. I'm sorry, Zor-Lucy. I'll make it up to you tomorrow, promise."

"Really?" Lucy gasped, looking to him expectantly, "How?"

"By making you the best god-damn breakfast you've ever had, with blueberry muffins, French pastries, freshly squeezed-"

"OK! Ok, thank you Sanji, but I think we'd better get Lucy to bed before she gives herself a nosebleed." Jess cut in, jumping down from her hammock and pushing Lucy towards her own. "Besides, I think the majority of us are so half drunk – half hung over that the mere mention of food makes us queasy."  
"Right you are!" Brook piped up.

"It's your own fault," Nivs muttered to Jess, who was walking past with the intention of returning to her hammock. She paused, before turning to Nivs and doing her special Jess glare (you know the one).

"Lights out!" Franky called, extinguishing the single lantern. Silence once again ruled the cabin as Nivs and Jess scrambled into their hammocks. The steady sound of the waves lapping against the side of the boat lulled everyone to sleep, and before long, Lucy was the only one still awake. She lay there, quiet, eyes wide, before whispering almost silently "Who was she? I wish I knew." and subcoming to the waves of slumber.

* * *

Lucy awoke to the sounds of crashing and the firing of canons. A sudden jolt sent her falling out of her hammock to the cabin floor. It was slick with seawater, and Lucy found it hard to stand at first. When she finally got to her feet, she staggered out to the deck. She slid to a stop with a gasp. The ship lay in various degrees of wreckage. Cannons lined the areas where the deck was still stable enough to hold their weight. The mast lay, or rather floated, in three pieces, the sail missing. Approximately 4/5ths of the handrail separating the crew from plunging into the depths of the ocean was either floating in the water, sunk or disappeared into oblivion – Lucy wasn't keen on finding out which one.

Someone grunted to Lucy's left, and she turned out of habit, only to let out a gasp a second time. Chopper and Sanji sat tending to an injured Usopp. Lucy stumbled forward, kneeling next to Sanji when she could no longer stumble, and croaked, "What happened?"

Sanji, pale and without his usual lollypop, looked up at Lucy with wide eyes, "Oh, Zoro – ahh, crap, I mean Lucy. Yeah, well, some passing debris struck Usopp. He has, according to Chopper, a broken arm and a puncture to the chest. Apparently, he's lucky not to of hit an artery. I'm busy here, so" he apologized with a weak smile, "I'm afraid breakfast has been cancelled."

"No!" Lucy cried, shaking her head. Usopp looked up and grinned.

"Don't worry, Zo-cy, I'll be fine."

"I don't care about you," Lucy snapped, "I wanted that breakfast!"

Lucy was suddenly grabbed from behind and, as she was spun around, she found herself face to face with Jess.

"Jess!"  
"Lucy, I swear if you mention food one more time, you'll find yourself en route to that ship via cannon – one way!"

"Ship?" Lucy looked in the direction Jess was pointing, and draws a breath. The ship looked so familiar, it could only be:

"Whitebeard's ship!"  
Jess blinked, "Your sure?"

"I've only read every One Piece manga to date!"

"It does match Whitebeard's style of fighting," Sanji admitted, "But why would Whitebeard attack us for no reason?"

For a moment, the only sounds auditable were those of cannon's being fired, before:

"Because he's evil."

"Duh."

There was a flash in the distance, and then an ear splitting crash, followed by a high-pitched cry. Nivs appeared a few moments later, supporting Nami.

"The cannonball! It broke off a piece of the handrail; cut Nami along the stomach on the jagged end. Looks deep, long too."

"Damn it!" Chopper gritted his teeth, before pushing up Nami's shirt. Nami started, backing up.

"Hold up! It's just a scratch! I'm fine, just… a…" Nivs reached out to catch her as she fell, narrowly avoiding hitting her head on the deck.

"All we have left is Brook, Franky and you, Zoro, and that's not enough to put up a great deal of a fight." Chopper sighed.

"Um, what about me?" Jess demanded.

"Well, no offence, Highness, but… you stink at fighting. Your weak, inexperienced and, on top of all that, soft." Sanji explained.

"Mute point. But what about Nivs?"  
"Nico has her own injury, don't you Nico?" Chopper enquired. There was silence.

"It doesn't hurt, honestly." Nivs finally pleaded, but Chopper just shook his head.

"You can't fight on that ankle, you'll just be endangering both yourself and the rest of us."

"Zoro, go tell Franky to raise our white flag." Sanji buried his face in his hands, "We're surrendering."

"What? No!" Lucy cried, "That's not what Luffy would of wanted!"  
"Luffy's not here. Besides, if we keep fighting, we'll all be killed."

"I'll go," Jess volunteered, disappearing seconds later as Lucy watched in dismay. No one spoke as Franky lifted Brook to wave the white flag, or when they heard the cheers of Whitebeard's crew, or when they saw Whitebeard's crew take to the boats and began to board. In fact, no one spoke until Whitebeard himself arrived, sneer intact.

"So, Strawhat crew, where is your infamous captain?"

There was continued silence, before Lucy finally broke it: "He's not here at the moment, please leave a message after the tone."

"Excuse me? Anyhow, I'll ask again: Where is Captain Luffy?"

"Like we said, not here. He's been missing for about two weeks." Franky told him.

Whitebeard's smile grew, "You mean to tell me he is not aboard this ship?"

"That is correct."

Whitebeard's smile was now so large it looked too big for his face. "Boys," he commanded, "take whatever they have!"

"No!" Lucy cried again, pushing forward. Whitebeard simply laughed before pushing her back. "Oh, and tie up the crew. Don't want any unfortunate accidents occurring, do we?"

Two men lurched forward, and began to tie up Nami, who lay, almost unconscious. Chopper spoke up.

"Sir, I am the healer of this ship. These three," he motioned to Usopp, Nami and Nivs, "require my aid."

"What's wrong with them?"

"Well, the male, Usopp-"

"He's male?"

"Yes, supposedly – anyway, he has a broken arm and a puncture to his chest. The orange haired female has a long and deep cut along her stomach and the black haired female has a rolled ankle. This man here," he motioned to Sanji, who was in the process of being tied up, "Is assisting me."

"The later two are of no concern. You are a healer, and therefore you shall remain unbound with your patients. However, this black haired female and your "assistant" can survive without you, and will therefore be tied up with the others. Be warned, healer – cross me and you'll wish it was the last thing you did. Shall I describe to you the pain and agony I'd put you through before you finally beg me for death? Well, first – "  
"C'ptain Whitebeard! C'ptain Whitebeard, sir!"

Two crewmembers had emerged from the sleeping quarters, one of them holding something in his fist. Lucy's eyes bulged when she saw it.

"My iPod!"

"A what?" Whitebeard asked, narrowing his eyes, "Jibbs, what is this device?"

"We're not sure, sir, but strange music seems to emit from it – music in a language we cannot understand."

Whitebeard gestured for them to bring it forward, and as they passed Lucy, the almost in auditable sound of the song "Ievan Polkka" could be heard, White beard hesitantly raised a single earphone to his ear before dropping it back into Jibbs' hand in disgust.

"Throw the dammed thing into the sea!" he yelled, pushing Jibbs as he said it.

"Aye aye, C'ptain."

"No! No," Lucy screamed, running forward again. Immediately, the two men tying up Brook moved to meet her, pushing her hands behind her back.

"And tie them up!" Whitebeard bellowed, turning his back on the Strawhat crew. As soon as his back was turned, Lucy broke free of her captors and ran toward her iPod, which was being thrown overboard,

"No!" she screamed, reaching out desperately. She managed to grab her earphones by the buds. Unfortunately, the mass of the iPod was too great compared to the force the earphones created in stopping suddenly, and Lucy could only watch in horror as the earphones slipped from their port and the iPod tumbled into the surf. Time seemed to slow as Lucy turned to face Whitebeard. She was aware of Nivs and Jess watching her, faces pale. She was also aware of Jess shaking her head, but she didn't care. She would have revenge!

"You…" she hissed at Whitebeard, who was regarding her in a cautious manner, "You… bastard!" she yelled, her hand flying to her belt, confident at what she would find there. Sure enough, she drew the sword from its holster and charged. In one swift motion she sliced through Whitebeard. There was silence.

"What is this?" he finally asked, amused. "A simple scratch? You think that will harm me?"

"That is no simple scratch. It is much more severe that my friends over there. For you see, that scratch did not pierce her stomach. But this one did – not only that, it cut it open. Your stomach acid is now oozing out. You shall die shortly as a result of this massive injury. There is nothing you can do to prevent, or even slow, it."

Whitebeard opened his mouth to reply, but only blood emerged. He looked down in shock to see the blood pooling at his feet, flowing off the deck into the sea.

"What's wrong, Whitebeard? Shocked? Scared? Tell me, what's flashing through your mind at this moment in time? Go on, tell me."

There was silence as Whitebeard struggled to speak, but finally he managed to ask, "Why did… you… do it?"

Lucy turned to him, expressionless. "Because you threw my iPod into the ocean."

And with that, she shoved him squarely on the chest and watched as he fell backwards into the sea, floated for a few moments, before finally sinking. Everyone watched him sink in silence, before Nivs said "Oh god, oh my fucking god, Lucy! What are we going to do?"

"This," Lucy said, turning to the remaining members of Whitebeard's crew and saying in a slow, soft voice "You have 2 minutes to get off this ship. If you are still aboard when that two minutes is up, you'll get what he got. Do you understand? Oh, and we'll take back what you took, too." Everything was still for about two seconds, before chaos erupted. Boats were casting off, shouting, running and before the end of the two minutes every single Whitebeard crewmember was gone. Lucy strode past Nivs and Jess, heading towards the sleeping quarters. No one said anything as she walked past, and as the door closed, Nami stirred and croaked "Hey guys, what did I miss?"

* * *

Night had long settled in before Nivs headed to the sleeping quarters. As she opened the door, she knew what Lucy would be like – hysterical, inconsolable and most of all, difficult. However, as she reached Lucy's hammock, she realised she was wrong on all accounts. Lucy lay there, silent. Nivs hesitantly reached out a hand, pausing for a few moments, before placing it on Lucy's shoulder. They remained like this for a few minutes, when Lucy whispered "Nivs… that part of me… I never want to see it again. That person I become… is a monster. I can't control her, I can only watch, helpless."

"What makes her come out?" Nivs murmured softly.

"Watching, or experiencing, things important to me, things I love – people, objects, memoires – be hurt, destroyed or wronged."

"How often have you become this "other you"?"

"A few – but it hasn't happened in the last three years."  
"What happened when you became her last time?"

Lucy rolled to face Nivs. "I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone, I'm sorry, Nivs.

"Now, promise me."

Nivs blinked, "Promise you?"

"Yes. Promise me, no matter what happens, you'll be there to calm me down next time."

Nivs didn't even hesitate, "Of course I'll be there! Why wouldn't I be?"

Lucy smiled, "I just wanted to be sure."

Nivs laughed, "Unfortunately, you're stuck with me!"

Both were laughing when Jess walked in, "Hey guys, Sanji's made dinner. You hungry?"

"Yeah!" They both yelled, jumping to their feet.

"Come on, then!" Jess called, turning around and walking out the door. Pushing each other out of the way, Nivs and Lucy squeezed through the door at exactly the same time…

* * *

… to walk back into Castle Oblivion. Jess stood in front of them, in her original pink outfit again, muttering. After a quick check that she was back in her black robe, which she was, Lucy slumpt to the floor, before whimpering "Hey Jess, what was for dinner?"

Jess turned, "You don't want to know."

"Aww!" Lucy cried, burying her face in her hands, while Nivs stood, thinking.

"Hey, guys, do any of you remember what we were doing? I mean, before we came to this castle."

Jess thought, "Now that you mention it… no."

"I remember it had something to do with Kakashi…" Lucy struggled.

"That's no lead. Everything to do with Jess is related to Kakashi."

"Oh yeah!"

"Someone's been playing with our memories…" Jess accused, looking around.

"Who?" Lucy asked.

"Why?" Nivs asked.

"How is what I want to know," Jess questioned, glaring at the ceiling.

"Well, there's only one way to find out…" Nivs said with a sigh.

"To the next floor!" Jess commanded.

"AWAY!" Lucy cried, running ahead as the others walked slowly behind.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ok - so where should we go?" Lucy asked, mouth full of the groups "dinner," which consisted of what each of them had in their pockets - mainly Pocky, Hello Panda and in Jess' case, meringue. Nivs looked up from her Hello Panda meringue kebab, "What are our choices again?"

"Well, there's a Bleach one, a Fruits Basket one, a Vampire Knight one, and two others that we don't know - one called "Shinjuku" and one called "The World." Lucy looked them lover, "Or, at least I think it's Fruits Basket - I mean, there IS an orange cat and silver rat on the card with a single rice ball."

"Let me see," jess held out her hand, to which Lucy obliged. After a few seconds of examination, Jess said "Yep. Defiantly Fruits Basket."

"So... what should we do? Should we go?"

"Don't have much of a choice, do we?" Nivs said angrily, "Unless we want to go to the Sheep Mines."

All three turned to the ever-present door to the mines in the corner. Steam was now billowing out the gaps under the door, and the frightened cries of sheep could be heard.

"OK, really!" Jess cried, throwing down her kebab, "That is just... not possible!"

"Yeah, because any of this is possible," Nivs scoffed, brushing crumbs off her tan 3/4's. "Well, I'm ready to go if you guys are."

"I really couldn't eat anymore anyway," Jess muttered, holding up the card towards the door. Another bright light appeared, and the girls winced. When the light vanished, the door stood open, and with only the slightest hesitation, the girls stepped through...

... into a small clearing (I know, anti dramatic, right?) Lucy looked around in awe, taking in all her surroundings. AS she turned full circle, she faced Jess and Nivs, and cried "Oh My GOD!"

Nivs had become the character "Kagura," her black hair tied in messy ponytails. She was dressed in a skimpy green dress with white stockings on underneath. Her eyes had turned grey and an orange cat bag was slung over her shoulders.

Jess, however, was at the other extreme. She had become the character "Rin," and her hair, while it was cut unevenly below her ears, had also turned black. She wore a tight halter top and a short skirt with high heels. Her eyes had also turned grey, and like Nivs', they were fixed on Lucy.

"What is it? Who am I?" Lucy asked in fear.

"Lucy..." Nivs began, "I'm not quite sure how to tell you this, so Jess will."

"You're Kisa, Lucy."

"WHAT?" Lucy shrieked, running to a nearby stream. Sure enough, she had short red hair and yellow eyes. Aghast, she tugged at her primary school uniform, before turning back to Nivs and Jess and wailing "I look like a little kid!"

"You act-" Jess began, before being cut off by Nivs.

"Be quiet," she hissed, "someone's coming!"

Sure enough, when Jess and Lucy strained, they could hear a person walking in their direction, muttering to themselves. Caught out, the trio scanned the area for somewhere to hide - and failed. Feeling threatened, the trio clustered together in the middle of the clearing protectively. The footsteps began to become louder, and a figure became apparent through the trees.

"It's no good," Jess growled, "We'll have to fight!"

"Like this?" Lucy whimpered, "We're useless!"

"Guys," Nivs began, "I don't think-"

"So you just want to give up without a fight?"

"I didn't say that, I-"

"Guys, I think it's only-"

"Nivs, shut up!"

"Don't take this out on Nivs!"

"Hey guys!"

Jess and Lucy blinked, turning to the newcomer. Nivs just sighed and said "Hello Tohru."

Tohru stood behind them, clutching her school bag and looking panicked. Her brown hair had leaves and twigs snapped off in it, and she was short of breath.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, dropping her brave bravado instantly.

"Have you seen Yuki or Kyo?" she asked desperately. Lucy, Nivs and Jess looked at each other blankly.

"No, we just got here…"

"Kagura? Rin?"

"No, sorry."

"Oh no!" Tohru cried, burying her face in her hands as her bag fell to the ground. Lucy ran to her aid.

"What is it, Tohru?"

"Oh Kisa… you're talking so well! I'm… so happy! It's Kyo and Yuki. I think… they're going to fight!"

"That's it?" Jess said, scorn in her voice. Tohru looked at her in desperation.

"That's what I thought. I mean, they fight all the time! It's just… I ran into Akito on the way home…"

"Akito?" Nivs was surprised to find fear in her voice. Tohru nodded.

"He said… that this battle will end all the battles. After hearing him say that, I thought…"

There was silence for a few seconds, before:

"We have to find them!"

"And quickly!"

"So Akito said this to you?" Jess asked, scanning the trees as they walked. Tohru nodded, "He looked… happy. I can't even begin to describe the triumph on his face."

"What are they fighting over?" Lucy asked, looking over her shoulder quickly.

"A new girl at school. She knows the secret. I don't know how or why, but she's been following Kyo around. Yuki thinks she's planning something, but Kyo – get this – is enjoying the attention – I think."

"And the fight?"

"Yuki suggested Kyo avoids her for awhile, but Kyo…"

"Let me guess – he didn't go for it."

"He accused Yuki of being jealous, and challenged him to a fight – the winner getting the girl."

"So who _is _this girl?" Nivs asked, straining her ears for a sound. Tohru sighed.

"A new girl – from Australia. I can't think of her name off the top of my head. At first Kyo didn't seem interested in her, but then, suddenly, he was all over her."

"Not… literally, right?"

"Oh Kagura… I-I don't know what I'm going to do!"

"About your feelings for him?"

"Eh?" Tohru stopped, staring at Nivs wide-eyed.

"What are you – what are you talking about?"

"Your feelings for Kyo. It's kinda obvious."

"M-my feelings?" Tohru gasped, "No, you've got it all wrong!"

"No I don't."

"Kagura," Tohru lurched forward, clutching Nivs' shoulders. Lucy and Jess turned around, confused as to why they'd stopped.

"Please don't say anything." Tohru whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek. Nivs bit her lip, before looking at Jess and Lucy.

"What's wrong?" Lucy called, looking concerned. Nivs glanced back at Tohru, before calling back "Tohru's getting worried. We should hurry."

"Well then what's the hold-up?" Jess asked irritably. Nivs looked at Tohru, who was hurriedly wiping her eyes.

"Nothing. Let's go."

"Kyoo!" Lucy cried, standing atop of a rock, "Where aarrree yooou?"

"This is hopeless," Jess muttered, sitting with her chin in her hands at the bottom of the rock.

"We can't give up," Nivs murmured, "Look at Tohru."

Tohru stood off to the side of the clearing, wringing her hands nervously. She had gone completely white and was shaking like a leaf.

"She's losing it." Jess said, shaking her head. "We need to find them quickly."

"But how?"

"Well… we keep looking." Jess stood up, "It's all we can do."

"So where-"

"I hear them!"

Nivs and Jess jumped, before looking up at Lucy.

"W-what?"

"I heard Kyo!" Lucy cried, jumping down from the rock. "It came from over there!" She pointed to the right.

"Quickly, then!" Nivs cried, walking quickly over to Tohru, "Time's of the essence."

"You found them?" Tohru gasped, looking up eagerly.

"We think so," Jess said, walking briskly in the direction of the bush, "Hopefully it's them."

"Then let's go! Tohru cried, pushing past Jess and charging into the bush. Lucy, Nivs and Jess all looked at each other, before rushing after her.


	8. Chapter 8

No-one spoke as they charged through the bush – Tohru in the lead. They could hear Kyo clearly now – could see his outline through the trees.

"Damn rodent!" Kyo was yelling at Yuki – who was across the clearing, "Akito's right! It's time for me to finish this off."

"With pleasure." Yuki spoke in formal tones, a wicked grin on his face. This seemed to infuriate Kyo even more.

"Shudup you! Why I-"

"No!" Tohru yelled, bursting through the trees and standing between the two. Surprise was evident on Kyo's face.

"Miss Honda." Yuki sighed, "How did you find us?"

"K-Kisa, Kagura and Rin helped me," she stammered, looking over to where Nivs, Lucy and Jess were standing. Yuki's eyes widened, but he nodded.

"Damn it!" Kyo growled, trying to push past Tohru, "Let me past!"

"No!" Tohru cried, blocking his every move, "You can't! I won't let you! I'll – I'll hug you and force you to transform if I have to…"

"What? For the love of – why not?" Kyo snarled, glaring at Tohru. She blinked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yuki enquired, looking at Kyo in scorn.

"No!" Kyo spat, glaring at Yuki. Yuki started to laugh, as did Lucy and Jess.

"Eh?" Tohru said, looking around in horror, face red.

"What's everyone laughing at?" Kyo demanded, fists clenched.

"You and your ignorance." Nivs said, stepping forward and pulling leaves out of her hair.

"Oh yeah, Kagura? This is coming from a girl with mud on her tights?"

This was a lame comeback, and Nivs ignored it. She walked up to Tohru, who trembling, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tell him." Was all she said. Tohru went white.

"Eh?" Kyo looked to Tohru, "Tell me what?"

"Well… I am… I… oh..-"

"Come on!" Jess said, annoyed.

"You can do it!" Lucy cheered.

"Miss Honda… Tohru…" Yuki gave her a reassuring smile.

"Oh… well… see, Kyo, I love yo-"

"_Nooo!_"

Everyone jumped at the sound of a new voice, and looked to the sky to see a figure blocking out the sun…

The figure landed on top of Kyo, knocking him unconscious. Tohru jumped backwards, letting out a small shriek. Nivs, Lucy and Jess just looked on, mouths gaping open, while Yuki buried his head in his hands.

"Kyo's mine! _Mine_!" The figure – a female – screamed, shaking Kyo by the shoulders, unaware this was causing his head to collide with a large rock.

"Jesus Christ," Jess sighed, walking up to the figure and grabbing the back of her shirt, before forcibly lifting her off Kyo – who was now bleeding from the head. It was only when the figure turned her head to hiss at Jess that Jess recognized her, and dropped her, mouth reopen.

"Tash?" Lucy cried, shock evident in her tone.

"Who are you? How do you know my name? Stay away from my Kyo!"

"B-but Tash, what are you _doing _here?"

"The love of my life, the very essence of my being, _Kyo _is here! Where else you I be? Besides, I have to defend him from this _shrew_." Tash pointed at Tohru, who'd hurried over to Kyo and was attempting to get him to regain consciousness via lightly slapping his face,

"_Get away from him!_" Tash screamed, tackling Tohru. Crying out, Nivs and Jess ran to her aid – lifting Tash off Tohru and restraining her as she attempted to struggle. Lip bleeding, Tohru said "But – but Natasha-san –"

"No! Don't even speak to me!"

"Natasha-san, I-"

"_I can't hear you! Lalalalala-_"

"_Natasha!_"

Everyone jumped at the sound of Tohru yelling. She stood, fists clenched, glaring at Tash.

"Now, Natasha, listen here. I love Kyo. He may not know it, but everyone else – Yuki, Shigure, Kagura, Rin and Kisa here – they all know. Now, if you love Kyo as much as you say you do, that makes _you _my rival. There's only one problem."

"Oh yeah?" Tash sneered, "And what's that?"

"Your visa doesn't cover potatoes." Tohru said flatly.

There was silence for a few moments, before Tash said politely "What?"

"A few days ago, a girl in a black coat turned up at school. She kidnapped Momiji and proceeded to fight me." Tohru explained, face expressionless. "Finally, I conceded defeat, and the girl told me all about you – your love of Zoids, Pokémon and, of course, Kyo. Then she laughed and called you a potato – to my surprise – before disappearing. Naturally, I was curious to the state of vegetation trade between Japan and Australia via plane travel – so I "Asked Jeeves." The result-"

"Banned importation. Illegal." Jess said, a smile on her face. Tash looked furious.

"Ok – so now you know. The question is: what are you going to do about it?"

"Me?" Tohru said sweetly, a cruel smile on her face, "Oh no, Natasha-san – it's not what I'm going to do, it's what you're going to do."

"Say what?"

"That's right. You're going to stay away from Kyo. If I see you acting like you've been acting in the past, an "anonymous" informant will tell the government of your breach of visa."

There was silence as Tash considered this deal. Finally, she said sourly "You drive a hard bargain, Honda-san." She snarled, "If I wish to keep seeing Kyo, I have non choice but to agree, do I?"

"No, you don't." Tohru said happily, a small smile on her face.

"Very well then! I accept your terms! But be warned: this is not over!" And with a "if looks could kill" glare at Tohru, Tash vaulted over a conveniently placed rock and fled. Tohru waved at her retreating back, before gasping and hurrying over to Kyo's now stirring body.

"Don't worry – " Jess assured Yuki, "When she say's "It's not over" it's over."

"Thank goodness for that!" Yuki gasped, humour on his face, "We can barely afford to keep repairing the house after Kyo and my fights – if she kept turning up at our place, we'd go bankrupt!"

Jess and Lucy started laughing, while Nivs walked over to Tohru, who was resting her hand on Kyo's head.

"He feel's fine. He'll wake up soon." Tohru sighed, looking up at Nivs, who looked at her in bland interest.

"Will you tell him when you wake up?" Nivs asked, looking at Tohru with blazing eyes. Tohru gave her a smile.

"You hit me yesterday, telling me to tell him – remember? I don't want to go through that again."

_Ah. So we came into the story at this point. Which means… she tells him tomorrow._

"Do you want me to be with you when you tell him?" Nivs asked, concerned. Tohru shook her head.

"It's probably something… I should do myself."

"What is?" a pained voice asked, and Nivs and Tohru looked down to see Kyo looking at them through half open eyes. Tohru went red.

"N-nothing! How are you feeling?"

"Me? Fine. What about you? Did you and Kagura get in another fight?"

Tohru's hand went to her lip, before she blushed and shook her head.

"Ah. 'kay then."

"There's just one thing I don't understand, though." Nivs turned back to Yuki, Jess and Lucy's conversation in interest, "Why didn't Kyo transform when Tash landed on him?"

"Oh, that's simple. Potatoes don't have genders." Jess explained. Lucy laughed.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

A sudden light burst through the trees, and Nivs turned to see what appeared to be a door through the trees.

"Guys." She called, looking directly at the door, "We'd better go. We have to meet Akito."

"Right." Jess said in a monotone, stepping beside Nivs. Lucy did the same, whispering to Nivs "What are you talking about?"

"Oh! You're going?" Tohru said, getting to her feet and rushing over to them.

"Yeah – it's best not to keep Akito waiting."

"Well, thanks for all your help!" Tohru said, hugging Lucy and Nivs close. However, when she went over to Jess, she held up her arms, and said "No thanks. I don't do hugs."

"Huh? But Rin…"

""Aw, come on!" Lucy said, pushing Jess into Tohru's arms with a huge grin her face. That, of course, faded, when there was a burst of smoke, and Jess transformed. Yuki and Kyo looked on, mouths gaping open.

"Umm… what?" Nivs said, looking at Jess in wonder.

"Rin?" Tohru cried, looking at the horse in shock.

"Um… I, eh, transformed to let… Kisa and Kagura ride on my back so we can get to Akito quicker… yeah, that sounds plausible…" Jess said, edging towards the trees and the hidden door. Tohru looked at her in confusion, but nodded.

"Well… good luck… with Akito, I mean."

"And good luck with _your _thing." Nivs said, pausing as she went past Tohru. She nodded, face determined.

"He loves you too." Nivs whispered near silently, to "no-one in particular." Tohru's eyes widened, but she said nothing – only waved as Nivs followed Lucy and Jess through the trees…

… back into Castle Oblivion. Jess – now back in her pretty pink dress, was fuming at Lucy, who was saying something along the lines of "Well I guess now we know your gender, huh Jess?" Nivs gave a small smile, before saying: "Well, where to next?"


End file.
